Industrial robot vs. Collaborative robot (cobot)

At Savo Vocational College, as part of the HitLeap project, we carried out a comparison between a collaborative robot and an industrial robot. The product used in the comparison was a log rack designed to meet the typical needs of an ordinary machine shop.

The main coordinator of the project is Savonia University of Applied Sciences, with LUT University also participating.

In this test, we compared two robots:

• UR10e + Smooth Tool + Kemppi X8 power source

• Yaskawa AR1440 YRC1000 + MT1-250S2D L-table + Fronius TPSi 500 power source

The test was carried out using a handheld controller from the perspectives of programming and welding time, aiming to reflect the typical tasks of robot operators. The operators had approximately two years of experience in robotics.

Yaskawa:
Programming: 2 hours, including all necessary steps to define robot functions and create the program. No seam finding or tracking was used in the programming.
Optimization: 30 minutes. Optimization reduced the program cycle time by 45 seconds.
Welding time: 6 minutes.

UR10e:
Programming: 40 minutes, including all necessary steps to define robot functions and create the program. No seam finding or tracking was used in the programming.
Optimization: 10 minutes.
Welding time: 8 minutes. The product had to be turned over during the process. The test was performed by welding two products at the same time (as shown in the image), making the fixture time used for welding two products comparable to that of the Yaskawa system.

Parameters used:

Yaskawa
Process: PMC
Programming time: 120 min
Optimization: 30 min
Welding time: 6 min
Wire feed speed: 9.0 m/min
Current: 148 A
Voltage: 22.9 V
Welding speed: 660 mm/min (V = 11)

UR10e
Process: Pulse
Programming time: 40 min
Optimization: 10 min
Welding time: 8 min
Current: 119 A
Voltage: 22.1 V
Wire feed speed: 5.6 m/min
Welding speed: 350/400 mm/min

It is important to note that the UR10e collaborative robot was operated at restricted speeds for safety reasons, as people were working in close proximity during welding. Both the welding speed and air movements could be increased.

The HitLeap project strengthens the expertise and productivity of welding companies in the region. Our goal is to bring the latest technology and innovative training solutions to the field of welding automation. In addition, we provide training for welding automation and welding operators.

Project co-funded by the European Union

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Ville-Pekka Arasmo
Savo Vocational College